KLANG: Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah wants matters pertaining to the redevelopment of Kampung Sungai Baru, Kuala Lumpur to be handled cautiously.
“After reading the feedback from various sources, I want this issue to be handled carefully and prudently with priority given to the interests of the Malays,’’ said Sultan Sharafuddin.
The Ruler added he had no objections for Kampung Baru to be developed in tandem with the changing times, but the fundamentals must be clear and in favour of the Malays.
“Hence, the original history of Kampung Baru’s establishment and heritage must be taken into consideration in detail by all relevant parties in regards to the matter,’’ said Sultan Sharafuddin.
The Ruler narrated how Kampung Baru was established in 1899 and initiated as a Malay settlement for the purpose of agriculture.
And the land was bestowed upon the Malay community by Sultan Sharafuddin’s grandfather, the fifth Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah through the Selangor State Government Gazette dated Jan 12, 1900, as a Malay Agricultural Settlement (M.A.S) reserve.
Sultan Sharafuddin added that Kampung Baru was also the venue of many important and historical events pertaining to the Malay community which should be preserved.
“I myself once lived and went to school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Raja Muda in Kampong Bharu, when my father, the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, was the Raja Muda of Selangor,’’ said Sultan Sharafuddin.
The Sultan added that Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin’s late father was also born there and the Tengku Permaisuri also lived and grew up with her family in Kampung Baru.
“As the apex of Kuala Lumpur’s development at one time, the Sultan Sulaiman Club, where the All-Malayan Malay Congress, that sparked the formation of Umno, was held in 1946, was also located at Kampung Baru.
“During the May 13, 1969 tragedy, the Sultan Sulaiman Club was also used as a shelter for the Malays,’’ said Sultan Sharafuddin.
The Ruler reminisced that the Sultan Sulaiman Club field was also the training venue for the Selangor football team prior to the construction of the Merdeka Stadium and added the Sultan Sulaiman Club Heritage Building was still owned by the Selangor State Government.
Sultan Sharafuddin also said that prior to Kuala Lumpur being handed over to the Federal Government, the official residence of the Selangor mentri besar and the state secretary were located in Kampung Baru.
“More nostalgic was the understanding that Masjid Jamek Kampong Bharu, officiated by Selangor’s sixth Sultan Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah, must be maintained at its current location and cannot be moved to another location,’’ added the Ruler.
Given all these facts, Sultan Sharafuddin said any decision or development initiatives in regards to Kampung Baru must take into account the interest of the Malay community currently and also in the long term.
“Kampung Baru is indeed a symbol of the Malay people’s rise since 1900.
“Thus, I would like to emphasise again that Kampung Baru plays an important role in the continuity and dignity of the Malays in Kuala Lumpur.
